Jelly Bean & Root for Nook Tablet 1.4.3

Jelly Bean & Root for Nook Tablet 1.4.3

Rooting your Nook Tablet with Barnes & Noble’s updated (v.1.4.3) Operating System? Will the “standard” technique work with the updated software? This article presents the steps required to take your stock Nook 8GB or 16GB) to the realm a of true Android tablet. For an introduction to rooting and descriptions of other options, see our article… Intro to Rooting & Modding Nook Tablet.

Background:

I already had Jelly Bean on my Nook (see the video above) but I wanted to do a step-by-step guide and include a real time video of the process. Therefore, I started by restoring my Nook to the stock OS before installing Jelly Bean (video for restoring stock).

After the Nook was restored to stock 1.4.2, I connected to my WiFi, signed in to my Google account and allowed the device to go to sleep. At that time, the device downloaded the Over The Air (OTA) update to 1.4.3. After a few minutes it rebooted its self and when I checked, it was upgraded. (You can quickly see the update as a small green “n” in the area next to the clock at the bottom of the screen.)

Confused? Click here to read our “Rooting Tips for Noobs” article.

Jelly Bean & Root for Nook Tablet 1.4.3

Start HERE!

The process for rooting is exactly the same for B&N v.1.4.3 as for previous versions of the Nook OS. See our previous article here for instructions on building the bootable (CWM) card.

NOTICE: Since the NT is a (relatively) old device, some developers have stopped making files available for download. Therefore, some of the links below may not work. I try to keep them current but it is difficult. If you fail to find the proper file, try my “download” section.

Boot into recovery: Hold the “n” (Nook) button while pressing the power button. Continue to hold both buttons until the Nook displays a picture of a cardboard box. Then let go of both buttons.

Switch the SDCard: When the Nook displays the CWM interface, you may remove the CWM card and replace it with a different card that contains custom ROM in zip format. If you wish, you can skip to step 9 to install a newer version of CWM to the internal memory.

Backup: If you want, this is a good time to backup the existing OS and all data using the CWM backup function.

Flash the custom ROM to the internal memory of the Nook. Full instructions can be found in our article on CM9 here. Since some versions of CWM (prior to v.6) have problems flashing newer versions of Android, I suggest flashing a copy of CM7b as the first step. The CM7b ROM can be downloaded here. You will also need to flash the Gingerbread version of Google Apps available here.

Reboot into the new custom ROM. Connect to WiFi and sign in to Android with your Google account.

Alternate RECOVERY options: You can now download FLASHABLE versions of either ClockWorkMod (CWM) or Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP). DO NOT USE CWM prior to v.6. Flashable Recoveries: CelticStorage.co.uk
Just flash one of these to the INTERNAL memory just as you would flash a ROM zip. No need to clear or wipe any partitions or caches.

Flash Jelly Bean Android 4.1.1

It may be necessary to manually power on the Nook after using either the Goo Manager (GM) or TWRP. If the device does not power on properly, just hold the power button until the Nook lights up and then let it go. You will likely have the Cyanoboot preloader installed and you must hold the “n” button to get the boot menu. Read the onscreen instructions carefully since different versions use different controls. In any case, you want to select the “eMMC Recovery” option in order to run the TWRP.

Download the JB ROM file (http://celticstorage.co.uk/cm10/sgt7…AL-acclaim.zip
MD5: 5D609685E15C7799FF596A6269F91E66) available from the XDA thread here and the CM10 version of GApps available here. (http://goo.im/gapps/gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip) Copy both files (in ZIP form) to the external SDCard inserted in the Nook Tablet. Here is a direct link to the 24 Nov CM10 file: http://celticstorage.co.uk/cm10/sgt7-10-20121124-UNOFFICIAL-acclaim.zip

Boot into TWRP using the instructions in the notice just above.

Select the “Install” button and locate the ROM file. Then “Add” and locate the GApps file.

Press the “Order and Flash” button (at bottom) and then assure that the ROM file is on top and the GApps file is second.

Tic the boxes, at the bottom of the TWRP, to “Wipe cache/dalvik”, “Backup” (optional), and “Wipe data / factory reset”

Flash: Either slide the button across or touch the “Flash” button (which ever is available).

Check the onscreen dialogs to assure that the flash is successful (if not, then check the downloaded files and re-download if necesary, then repeat the procedure.)

When the flash is completed, the NT will reboot (or power off)

Power on (if required) and continue with the Android setup on your new JELLY BEAN Nook Tablet!

398 Responses to Jelly Bean & Root for Nook Tablet 1.4.3

Hello Mr. Ray. I know you no longer have a nook tablet, but I am at my wits end and desperate for a answer if possible. I am willing to donate if that helps. My issue is kind of a long story so I will make it as short as possible hitting the important parts. I successfully rooted my nook tablet to JB several months ago. Everything was fine until I against better judgment, tried updating through goo manager. After that my nook was stuck at the boot screen. The first thing I tried was restoring it to nook factory following the steps provided. It worked great except I did not have any touch screen. I searched you site for answers and found that the touch point setting had been changed to 10 point from 2 point. I got frustrated and set the nook aside for some time, bad idea. By the time I picked it back up most of the files were not longer available. I have scoured many websites including xda for answers to no avail. Truth is I am not knowledgeable enough to know even if I was looking at the right answer. any help would be appreciated. I am able to load CWM-based Recovery v5.5.0.4 from my sd card. Just not sure where to go from here.

I understand, thanks for responding. I am not giving up hope just yet. When I get some free time (not likely this week since my church is having revival this week) I am going to do some more digging. If I run across anything useful I will report back to you and maybe it will be of some use to others. Thanks again.

Thanks for offering to share your upcoming success! I am confident that you can find the answer. It is almost certainly posted on XDA somewhere. The problem is that it is so difficult (and time consuming) to extract the wheat from the chaff. That is what I built this site on – trying to filter out the chaff and give users direct access to a logical step-by-step guide to get things done.

Hi Ray, I Used this guide a while back, and now decided to do a clean install of Cyanogenmod. However there is one problem I can’t get the CM7 file. Could you send me a copy. Also, I would like to thank you, for teaching me how to install Roms keep up the great work!!

Hello. Both my boyfriend and I installed this root on our nooks and we love it so thank you so much! we appreciate your time in giving us free instructions. we are both having a problem with the wifi. So my main problem is the wifi will not automatically connect after reboot. I have gone through all the options to see if its just something im missing and I just cant figure it out. It also kicks me to a Europe reginonal code and wont stay on the United States option. And the other thing is when we are side loading it kicks us off wifi over and over. mainly when using u torrent programs. I dont know what the problem is and my last option is asking if maybe you had any answers to this livable but very very annoying problem. Again thank you for your time and effort we love our root and we love that you made it so easy for us newbs.

Hey Lizzy! Merry Christmas! I am so sorry that you are having problems with your Nook. Since I got the Nexus 7, I don’t have a Nook any longer and I have not kept up with the development. But I am sure that there are new roms out there that you can try. The xda forum for the device is a good place to look (should be a link in the article above). Just read the first post in a forum for instructions on how to flash the new ROM. If you use the same ROM (updated) that you have now, you probably won’t have to do the setup again.

Season’s Greetings Ray
You helped me once before and I’m hoping you can help me again.
Nook Tablet 16GB crashed badly while running Jelly Bean.
Tried everything and decided to reset. Did that no problem.
BUT… I can’t register the nook with B&N because the lower left side of the touch screen is unresponsive.
I can connect to wifi because the password does not have numbers, but I can’t enter my email because the @ key does not respond and my B&N password has numbers and I can’t get the number keep to respond either.
Is there anyway to get the CWM sd card to boot without registering the device?
Or flash JB or load anything without registering?
Please help.

It has been a while since I worked on a Nook tablet so I am just a bit foggy. However, I am pretty certain that: 1. Registration with B&N is not required if you root the device and install a custom ROM. In that case, it is considered just another Android tablet that may or may not have the B&N Nook application. If you install the Nook app, it will register with B&N. 2. The unresponsive touch is a (bad) side effect that lingers after installing certain poorly written ROMs. My “unbrick” article will NOT clear it. I never experienced the problem but my users report that the only solution is to re-install the last ROM and then either uncheck the “MULTI-touch” function or uninstall the ROM using its options. I could not say.

Hi Ray Sometimes I feel like such a twit!…. I forgot to say that I had made a CWM sd card, but no matter what I tried the NT kept booting to B&N. So… of course it was the card. Tried making another CWM on a different sd card… of course you are such a genius… it worked 🙂 I’ve now got it running again with Gingerbread. Not sure if to try Jelly Bean again. Should I flash Ice Cream then JB or can I flash JB from Gingerbread? I’m sure this is a silly question, but my head is so bamboozled by all this, I refuse to make a decision on my own. What do you recommend? Cheers, Ally.

Sir Ray You are brilliant! Did you know that? Jelly Bean running again…. yippee! To anyone else out there too broke to by a new tablet…. persevere! Follow Sir Ray’s instructions very carefully and you will get there. Happy happy me! Thank you Sir Ray. I wish you and your family all the best for the festive season and a great New Year! Ally

Hey Ray,
I have absolutely loved this article, as I have not found any others that are as complete and more importantly easy to understand.
I have an issue though that I was hoping you might have a fix for. I got everything up and running using CM9 and Jellybean. It was working just fine, except it would no longer charge the battery while the device was not fully booted into the OS. I let the battery die, and even when supplied power via the chord, the device would not charge unless fully booted. This was a problem because the booting process took some deal of time, and the device would then die again before it could boot.
I went about using the factory reset method described in one of your other videos. It was outlined to fix a bricked nook. And it did for the most part. My current problem is that even though I now have the device factory reset I cannot use the touch screen. I have used all methods I can find of resetting the device. I have re-downloaded and re-wiped it three times now. I have updated it to 1.4.3 thinking it would solve the problem but that has also not worked. I am really stuck on what to do.
I accepted all risks associated with the device-hack when I started the process, but its still a bummer losing my cool new Android tablet lol. I was just wondering if you had any insight on the problem. Thanks again for your help and time, and regardless of my further results the process totally works and is super super cool so thank you.

Im still working on getting it restored to its former glory, but I have found what caused the screen to not work. If I fail to reformat the SD card with a tool that I download called SDformatter, or use the Ubuntu method described by yourself, the screen will not work when I factory reset the device. At least that’s how its been working for me.